Unpleasnt Encounters
by ooAngles of Yuan and Kratosoo
Summary: Lady Princess Amara had it all until death began to haunt her. Now its up to Katsa and Po to help her reconnect with what hse once had and replace what death took from her. PLease review and dont flame...
1. Out of the Dark

The sun was hanging low in the sky as three teenage kids slipped through the shadows of Leck City. Each of the kids was wearing dark colored trousers and dark colored tops that were sort of ratty and worn. They were also wearing black hooded cloaks, which allowed them to keep their faces hidden. That was the last thing that they need was for anybody to see their faces. As they slipped through the darkness, they seemed to be searching for something. The kids wandered the darkness for several hours before one of them stopped in an alley way. The other two took notice and returned to where their companion stood, waiting for her to speak.

"_I've found it."_ The shortest of the group mouthed.

The other two nodded and stepped back to let the short one take the lead. They followed until they reached a small inn on the out skirts of the market district, where there wasn't a whole lot of people or royal guards. Pausing in front of the door, the short one knocked and stood to the side as door was opened by the inn keeper. The innkeeper was a tall, broad shouldered man with brown hair and deep green eyes.

"_Who goes?"_ he asked as the short one nodded.

"_We have come for the goods that you claim to have?"_ the short one said as the two others nodded.

"_Identify yourselves!"_ the innkeeper said as the short one stepped forward and pulled back the hood.

It was quite obvious that the shortest of the three was, indeed, a young woman. With blonde hair and striking eyes, she was quite a sight but it didn't really matter because when the innkeeper saw her eyes, he did nothing to stop them from entering. The inn's main room was fairly empty, save for the two merchants who sat to the left of the fireplace.

"_Forgive me Lady Princess but we weren't expecting you for another day or so." _Said the innkeeper as he shook his head and starred.

"_Yes well the weather has been good to us and we made good time. I can also assure you that your daughter will be safest with us. She will be raised well and taught well, you can expect the best for her." _The girl said as she stood up.

"_Will we ever get to see her?"_ asked a soft voice.

"_Who can say? If her grace proves useful, she will be trained and cared for by me. Even the most mundane graces can have use if properly trained."_ The princess replied as she starred at the innkeeper's wife.

There was silence throughout the inn as the keeper and his wife starred at each other but eventually, the wife stood and hurried up the stairs to retrieve the little girl. She returned moments later, teary eyed, with the infant child in her arms. The princess frowned when she realized that the child probably wasn't even passed the breast feeding stage. Either way, there was no way they could back out now, so she extended her arms to receive the child. Then, without another word, the trio disappeared into the darkness from which they had come, taking the sleeping daughter with them.

It wasn't a very long trip back to the palace, where the princess called home. As soon as they arrived, there were servants waiting for them. The princesses' companions were able to remove their hoods but soon they hurried off to their own rooms for the night.

"_Princess Amara? Is this the child whom you went to retrieve?"_ asked a tall blonde woman with large brown eyes.

The princess nodded as several woman servants gathered around to see the sleeping child. All of them ooh'd and awed until the infant let out a soft whimper and opened its eyes, which caused several women to gasp. The child's eyes were startling; with one eye being a pale grey and the other was a soft lilac. Princess Amara smiled as she cuddled the baby. Being only sixteen years old, it was unlikely that anybody would accept the fact that she had adopted the graceling baby but as she was the only princess, nobody but her parents and her handmaid could say anything.

"_Are you planning to announce her as yours at the feast, milady?"_ asked one of the servants who had black hair.

"_I don't know yet. She does have at least one of my eyes, doesn't she?"_ Amara replied as the baby starred up at her.

"_Who would you claim the father to be?"_ asked another servant but Amara had turned and was walking away.

"_I would suggest that all of you keep your mouths shut and continue on with whatever it is that you should be doing."_ Amara said as she disappeared off down the hallway.

Immediately, all of the servants scattered and Amara was left alone. She moved quickly and quietly towards her chambers. She knew that Rose would be waiting up for her, which was a comforting thought. Being a princess didn't mean she had a loving family; in fact, her own mother and father took care to avoid her. It was at times like that that being graced sucked; people looked down on her and they took extra care to avoid her.

Sometime she wished that she had been born in Lienid because they treated their graced with respect and the royal family's youngest son, Prince Greening Grandemilon, was a graceling. It wasn't like that in all the other kingdoms. If a child was born and became graced, they were sent to that kingdoms nurseries and were raised there. If the child's grace proved useful to the king, then they were kept and trained. Sunder was the only kingdom that kept graceling with mundane graces, mostly on behalf of the Princess herself.

Princess Amara had her own section of the castle for her own little troupe of gracelings. She had over a hundred children in her section of the castle. There were dancers and singers and swordfighters and hunters and so many others but there were also a few of the kids who could hold their breaths for a really long time or who could climb up the tallest trees or who could speak fluent backwards talk. These were the ones who Amara took special care to raise and train because she found them to be useful although her father did not.

Eventually Amara reached her section of the castle, which was guarded by a single torch. The torch was unlit, which made Amara smile. With a swish of her fingers, the torch was lit. As the door swung open, Amara marveled at her abilities. She had been born a graceling, with different colored eyes at birth. This set her apart from other gracelings because most settled into their eyes over the course of a few weeks to a couple months and on a rare occasion, they settled after a couple of years.

Pushing the door open, she was greeted by another gaggle of servants who had been awaiting her arrival. All of them were women because Amara had handpicked all of them. The crowd followed Amara through the corridor until they reached her sitting room.

"_Welcome home Lady Princess."_ Whispered one of the servants, named Jewel.

"_Thank you Jewel."_ Amara replied as the girl smiled.

"_Is this the little one that you went to find?"_ asked another maid.

"_She looks just like you. She even has one eye that matches yours but the question remains; who would the father be?"_ Jewel asked as the other servants nodded.

"_I suggest that all of you return to your chambers and whisper not a word to anyone until I tell you too."_ Amara said as she walked towards her room.

Nobody said anything as they watched Amara disappear into her bedroom. Amara could hear the servants hurrying to their quarters as she rested her back on the solid oak doors. This might end up being harder than she had first thought. She needed to find someone who would pass as the father of the child. Deep down she wished that everything could be simple again.

Moving across the floor, she walked over to the window and sat down by the window. The baby was still wide awake in her arms and it made her smile to know that she could give this poor child a decent life. There came a soft knock at the door but Amara made no response.

The door creaked open and Amara's handmaid, Noel, entered the room. Noel was an older woman who had soft grey hair and light blue eyes. She had never raised a graceling until Queen Zara had appointed her to be Amara's nurse when Amara was only a baby.

"_M'lady, can I see the baby?"_ Noel asked as Amara smiled.

"_I suppose so."_ Amara replied as she shifted in her seat.

"_Oh Princess, she looks just like Rori."_ Noel said as she gently touched the child's forehead.

Amara froze. Noel had said the one word that made every nerve in her body shrivel up and die. It hurt so badly to hear that name, Rori. Amara took a sharp breath and clutched the baby to her chest. Noel noticed the reaction, so she reached out and took the infant from the ailing princess.

"_I know that it's hard to get over, but I'm sure that Prince Skye wouldn't like to see you like this."_ Noel said as she rocked the baby back to sleep.

"It wasn't fair, to lose him like I did." Amara replied as heart breaking sobs racked her body.

"You could have done nothing to stop what happened to him." Noel said softly as the baby slept in her arms.

There was a heart breaking silence that echoed throughout the room as Amara cried and cried. Noel took the infant into the nursery, which hadn't been touched since Rori had died. When she came back into the main bedroom, Amara was still crying. Noel frowned and shook her head; the princess hadn't been able to deal with the death of her first child or of her sudden separation from Prince Skye of Lienid.

After a few moments, Amara stood and strode over to her bed. It was late and she hadn't slept in several days, which meant that she was close to passing out. Sitting on the edge of her bed, Amara pulled off her riding boots, then her stockings. Tossing them off to the side, she stood up and pulled off her riding dress, which was much shorter than her long "princess" dresses. Discarding the dress to the floor, Amara grabbed a light tunic and pulled it over her head. Finally, she slipped underneath the covers and slipped off to sleep.


	2. Encounters

The next morning came too soon for Amara. The sun was shining brightly through the eastern window when she awoke. Sitting up, she spotted Noel feeding the baby by the window. Heaving a sigh, Amara sat up and pushed the covers off, which caught Noel's attention.

_"Good morning Lady Princess."_ Noel said as the baby bounced on her lap.

"_You were right Noel. She does look just like Rori."_ Amara said as she crawled out of bed and began getting dressed for her day.

As she pulled on her stockings and her boots, a knock came at the bedroom door. Noel placed the baby in the playpen that had been set up for Rori and strode over to the door. After a few moments, Noel returned with one of the court messengers. Amara had managed to pull on a soft grey riding dress, which came to her knees.

"_Lady Princess, there is a messenger from your fathers court." _Noel said as the man stepped forward.

"_Lady Princess, your father wishes to see you in the Throne Room as soon as you are dressed."_ Said the messenger.

Amara nodded and sent the man away. Once he had left, she turned to Noel and smiled. It wasn't very often that her father called her to the court. Quickly, she spun around to gain Noel's approval, and then she disappeared out the door but quickly returned to gather up the baby.

"_Have you decided what you want to name her?"_ Noel asked as Amara spun the little girl around.

"_I suppose that she does need a name, doesn't she."_ Amara said as she smiled at her new adopted daughter.

"_I suppose her name should be something that is befitting of a graceling. I know! I shall name her Liala, like my great grandmother."_ Amara said as she tossed the child up and caught her.

"_That is a wonderful name m'lady."_ Noel said as she gathered up the stray clothes on the floor as Amara and Liala disappeared out the door.

It took about five minutes for Amara to reach the throne room. Upon entering, she spotted her parents sitting at the head of the room but there was another pair of people sitting on the side. Both of the new people were dark haired but one of them caught her off guard.

"_Good morning mother. Good morning father. You wished to see me?"_ Amara asked, her voice echoing through the throne room.

"_You have been summoned here this morning with a request from the Lienid king."_ Announced the king as Amara frowned

"_To persuade you to go, King Ror has sent his youngest son Prince Po and Lady Katsa of Middlun." _He added as the two guests stood up.

Amara stepped back as she took in the sight of her almost brother-in-law and his companion. Po hadn't changed much since she had last seen him except for the fact that he was accompanying this girl who was supposed to be King Randa's lady killer. Shifting her eyes back to Po, she couldn't help but noticed how much he was like his older brother.

"_Lady Princess Amara, it has been a long time since I last saw you." _Said the Lienid Prince as Amara backed up.

"_As it has been for me to see you."_ Amara said as she shook her head.

"_Shall we go?"_ she added, turning for her father's approval but he was busy talking to her mother so Amara turned and left.

Once they were outside the throne room doors, Amara was able to get a good look at her to-be companions. Po was the youngest Lienid prince but he really didn't lack anything. He was extremely good looking what with his dark hair, tan skin, dark tattoos and his eyes, which were sparkling grey and glistening gold. His companion was just as beautiful; with dark brown hair, fair skin and striking eyes; which were emerald green and sapphire blue.

It was odd how gracelings could see each other differently and be together without much trouble. Amara had always associated with gracelings and not much else.

"_Shall we go to my rooms?"_ Amara asked as Po nodded.

"_Yes and perhaps you can show Lady Katsa your amazing abilities."_ Po replied as Katsa frowned but Amara smiled.

"_Lady Katsa huh? Randa's lady killer?"_ Amara asked which resulted in a growl from Katsa.

Both Po and Amara shared a laugh as they wandered back to Amara's rooms. Once they were back in Amara's wing, they sat down to talk.

"_So what exactly is your grace?"_ Katsa asked as Amara sat little Liala on her lap.

"_I can bend the elements of earth, fire, water, and air."_ Amara said as Liala gurgled.

"_Is that why you have a whole wing to yourself?"_ Katsa asked which made Po raise an eyebrow.

"_I guess it is in a way but it's also for me and my husband to live in when we're not traveling or living at his castle."_ Amara said as Katsa's eyes widened.

There was an awkward silence in the room as Liala gurgled and smiled. Amara hadn't seen her husband since Rori's death. They had taken a bit of time apart, which had turned into a few months.

"_That's why my father sent us."_ Po said as Katsa looked from him to Amara.

"_Why didn't he just send Skye?"_ Amara asked as realization dawned on Katsa.

"_You never told me that she was your sister-in-law." Katsa asked in disbelief. _

"_Skye and Amara married two years ago. I believe that Rori was conceived a little over eleven months ago, right?"_ Po asked as Amara frowned and ducked her head.

Po was absolutely right but Amara didn't want to admit it. She had married one of the Lienid princes and she had been pregnant with another prince of Lienid. Rori would have been King Ror's first grandchild, had he lived. Unfortunately, Rori was born sickly and he didn't live for much longer afterwards. Neither of them had been able to deal with the death of their son, so they had separated for what was meant to be a short time but it had turn into a couple months.

Katsa looked from Po to Amara and then back to Po. He hadn't ever mentioned that his older brother Skye was married to the Estillian princess. Though as she thought about it, he didn't really need to because it really wasn't any of her business.

As they were sitting there, Noel entered the sitting room with a grave look on her face. She was wringing out her hands and she seemed pale. Quickly she approached the window and looked out, then backed up and closed the curtains. Her bizarre actions caught Amara's attention and she rose to meet her nurse.

"_What's going on with you Noel?"_ Amara asked as the nurse fidgeted and shook her head.

"_There's been talk amongst the servants."_ Noel said as Amara drew herself up in height.

"_What kind of talk?"_ Amara snapped as the walls of the castle started to rumble.

"_The people of Thigpen City are rising up against the gracelings. They're threatening to revolt against the king."_ Noel said as Amara stepped back.

"_Why would they turn against their king if he's not even a graceling?"_ Po asked as Katsa stood up and walked over to the window.

"_It's because the king doesn't have a non-graceling heir. People are afraid of being ruled by the graced."_ Katsa said as Amara nodded.

Po raised an eyebrow and looked from Katsa to Amara. Being from Lienid, he was unfamiliar with the way that the mainland people treated their graced. The Lienid treated their graced with respect but the other six kingdoms treated their graced with disrespect and malice.


End file.
